The charred ground behind them burned with green flames from the mortar. It consumed the lush, azure colored grass as well as trees around it. But as soon as the four faced goddess fell into her forced sleep, something strange started happening. A comforting green aura would start surrounding the fox girl, forcing her into a confused state as well. This was not her doing and she had no idea what was going on. At least for the first few seconds until the aura started spreading and putting out the flames completely. And without fire destroying the nature here, the grass would start growing once more at a rapid pace. Not even few seconds passed and the palce looked just how it was before. And Noheme could only stare at the beauty in awe.
"The world itself is not dead yet..." she spoke those words and looked down at the other beauty that was in her arms now, still passed out. And she almost jumped back in shock and surprise! Strange black and white markings were adorning the black-haired girl's body. They were everywhere, forming intricate patters and symbols that no one else would be capable of recognizing. But the moon goddess could. After all, she had a spell like that herself. One that she did not thing she would ever use. But Leila surely thought the same thing. The sacrifice magic of highest tier. It was a seal that was once the Eden's goddess. They were together all this time. And simply looking at all this, even the fox girl managed to solve the puzzle. The reason why was her sister not reviving after she used that spell, after she sealed one of the faces away. Or at least calmed it a bit. It made her laugh. Laughter that could not be heard by none, as there was no one else around but the sleeping princess.
"Ah, I see. So she gave up her divine form for you after all. Every other time, she simply eradicated her own physical form, which allowed her to be reborn once more because her true divine body was still intact. But for you, she truly did sacrifice everything. I wonder... if you really deserve it. Just for one single person. The only one that could save her now is..." she stopped. Not only was she talking to no one, she also realized something which quickly shifted her expression into something much more negative. Her sharp teeth would grind against one another as she looked up into the skies. All she saw was a darkness and slowly fading starts surrounding a transparent moon. As the spirits died one after another, the starts were slowly disappearing and the moon was no longer shining as strong as it once was. The moon...
"Me..." And the dark down below this world. The abyss. So they were connected all along, but never realized. How twisted could they creator be? What game was he actually playing here? His motives and true extend of power were unknown even to the goddess. But she knew what her own goals were. She wanted to kill him and take it all back, even if it really was impossible now. With a sigh, she would start walking forward as her train of thoughts shifted into a different direction.
"You're right and wrong. It should be ended quickly, but there is no 'we' in there. I alone will do this, for that is my task." Not that it she could hear it all. But if she were to wake up, it would probably bring problems for both of them. So the moon goddess would find another solution to this problem and she indeed had one. A cruel solution befitting her dark nature which was hidden from light of day.
Placing one of her hands on Jiyu's forehead, an extra eye would open on that very palm. A spell that was normally used to force someone's unpleasant memories to come forth, putting her victims into position where they had to relive the worst moments of their lives. But this time, the effect was nothing short of opposite. The eye would search for everything pleasant, as the images projected into Noheme's mind as well. The moment Marschal saved her, when she met Leila, their journey together and much more. And just like that, a pleasant dream was formed. A dream that should keep the girl asleep for quite some time. At least until this whole mess would be resolved.
"I can see why she liked you, you know? Just from those memories... she lived a good life. She walked a path that I am trying to get on as well. Simple path of mortal life, one filled with happiness and sadness at the same time. One that follows both good and bad. Path filled with friendship and enemies. It had it all. She was content. But in the end, it all fell apart, did it now? I wonder if we're simply not fated to have a life like that. No... surely we can grab fate into our own hands and direct it however we ourselves want. But now that she is gone, it is my duty to protect this place in her stead, for we are sisters bound by our very existence! Continue your slumber, for I will have them all burn in the black flames of despair for what they did!" They walked towards the burning meadow from where the previous attack came as the girl talked. It was unknown to her what dream the four faced goddess was having, but it surely was a pleasant one. Even if she was friend with Leila and even if the Eden's goddess sacrificed herself for her, it was not her place to protect this world. Because it was the exact same being as the moon goddess that formed it. Sisters that had to walk side by side to conquer their enemies.
And finally they arrived. Looking at this place, it truly was horrid. The green flames were consuming the grass and trees, burning brightly and with venomous feeling. Twisted clockworks were all over the place, surrounding a nightmarish construct that was the source of all the destruction. Carefully laying the fragile girl against a tree, Noheme would let her rest in the comfortable grass.
"All you have to do is wait. Your presence alone in this world can mend it because of the seal. It still has her powers after all. So just sit here motionless and bring this world back to life while I'll deal with these walking problems." Those were the last words she spoke to the girl named Jiyu Kazehime. The rest would only be a fight to the death. And so, the moon goddess would steel herself and walk forward with her head held high. And as the magical moon illuminated the battlefield, her green hair appeared silver and almost partially transparent, swaying in the gentle waves of wind. Eight orbs formed around her back, dancing to the melody of crackling flames, power that Leila herself gained towards the end of her journey. Power of gods that were born from raw magical energy, molded by Lilith - the miracle demon and god. And as the gap between herself and her enemies started growing closer, strange questions started filling the girl's mind. Questions formed by what she saw in the dog girl's memory.
How did it feel when you first found out about your demonic powers? They asked.
How were you acting when you faced against angels with your beloved partner by your side? It questioned.
How happy were you when she gave up her everything for you and you only? She laughed.
A knight like machine approached and attempted to swing at the goddess with it's halberd, but quickly stopped. The whole space around them suddenly became dark, strange crimson markings adorning now formed walls of a cube that indicated their battlefield. And every single machine turned towards Noheme, as they were all affected by it, their artificial life being sapped away by the barrier in amount that was definitely not insignificant. And before the knight could properly move again, a darkness coated hand pierced it's stomach. That alone was not enough to stop the machine completely, but even it's head was soon crushed completely between two of the dark orbs, a third one forming a black sword in the fox girl's hand. Somehow, an image of a young, green haired lady appeared in her mind when she observed the sword that formed almost automatically. A memory? She and Leila shared this power, perhaps it was sentient as well and kept certain events in it's hidden mind. She sure had an interesting journey, did she not? Letting go of the motionless machine that fell to the ground, the dark god would continue walking forward. At least five more enemies would approach, all looking like jellyfish machines. But the goddess only smiled, a shade starting to form by her side.
"Let us cleanse these fools, sister." A dark, semi-transparent version of Leila would form by the fox girl's side and not. It was not really her, merely an imitation formed by the powers of dark. But at least in this form, she could be present here and save her own world. Noheme's appearance too, would slowly start shifting as black flames started to consume her body, giving her a completely different look. It was good that the four faced goddess was not around for this, for she would probably faint once more.
- Dark Appearance:
A perfect performance. The team work performed by the two dark beings was nothing short of that, as they were linked together and could read one another's mind. And they smiled as the darkness pierced the machines, breaking them apart one by one along with the dark orbs that were floating around, occasionally hitting the machines and tearing them apart, crushing the metal plates and cogs that were spinning inside. It was strange, actually. The girl did not feel anger, nor wrath anymore. It was as if she was at completely piece, her movements natural and following already predetermined path, like a flow of water in a complete darkness. All the while, a green aura surrounded the dark goddess, whispering sweetness into her ears without even having her realize it all. Ah, how pleasant it all was. The joy for battle was completely gone. The dread following her for as long as they were here, completely gone. And all the negative feelings that she harbored, everything simply vanished. Only strange happiness remained. Was this the nature of Gardens of Eden? The world that her sister created with the same power that Noheme used to create her Astral Realm. It was laughable how much more creativity Leila had. The Astral realm was nothing more than set of floating islands in orange oblivion. And everything atop the unstable ground was very much reminiscent of Earthland. Green grass, green trees and completely normal buildings. Even the spirits there looked mostly like regular animals you would find in Fiore. Well, it was alright. After all, this place was not yet lost. Surely the moon goddess could enjoy it as much as she wished to once this was all over. Feel what her sister felt when she was ruling this place.
Finally, all the machines would fall to the ground and only two remained. Another knight, accompanied by that leading machine who was trying to burn this place to the ground. As the humanoid clockwork approach, a chain formed around the fox girl's hand as she swung it, making it take a hold of the enemy's foot and lift it into the air. Swinging it around, the knight quickly crashed into the machine that was labeled as 'MAMA' on one of it's parts. It damaged them both, but not to the point where either one would stop working. At least until the point where MAMA itself pierced the knight machine with one of it's sharp legs, dismantling it completely. They clearly lacked any kind of emotion or reason. Why were they in this world, she had no idea. But she knew that she had to dispatch of this thing. The eight orbs would form one giant spike in the air as it quickly flew down to the ground, piercing the machine as much as one could pierce such a twisted horror of parts and cables everywhere. That was her chance too! Quickly sprinting towards it, the enemy suddenly exposed several flamethrowers and formed a searing wall of pain. But the moon goddess did not care in the slightest. Covering her face, she jumped through the flames. And as she got closer to it's body, a great sword formed in her hands, allowing her cut through the weaponry. One of the many arms that were present on the beast suddenly swung forward and managed to send the goddess flying. But that was fine. At this point, it wasp probably damaged enough for the finished. After all, Noheme was using all the power she had to conquer this one, send it into it's eternal slumber! A smug smile appeared on her face as she placed her hands on the charred ground.
Her appearance started shifting even more, eight more tails forming on her body as the magical energy itself started shaking the earth they were standing on.
"You'll be the one who will be reduced to ashes here! Repent!" A spark of flames and a burning trail that suddenly made it's way towards 'MAMA'. And as soon as they touched, a giant column of flames would shoot up into the heavens, consuming the machine completely. It's heat was enough to wither away the remaining grass and leaves on trees that were around, even coloring the trees in the distance completely black. And soon, it was all over. Only a melted piece of metal remained, completely destroyed and not capable of functioning any further. With an exhausted sigh, the goddess' appearance returned to normal. She would approach what was left of the enemy and sat down in front of it, cross-legged and serene. Suddenly, the nature would start crawling back. The trees that were destroyed sprouting anew in an instant, azure blue grass growing beneath their feet. Even the melted machine became covered in blue moss and flowers, as if it was laying there for centuries. And the same happened to Noheme too. Her body becoming pale instead of her usual tanned color, nature embracing her. She was completely fine, but she wished to remain here for a while. Even the shade that looked like her sister vanished by now, for the battle was over. Maybe Jiyu was awake at this point, or maybe not. She really did not care much. For she would remain here longer than the girl. Even with her problems of navigation, she should be able to find her way back to the gate that lead back to Earthland. So the moon goddess continued sitting there without any reaction or answer. And she would remain until the other girl left, for she had work to do in this realm. Work that should not be interrupted by bystanders, no matter how close they were to the Eden's ruler.
Word Count - 2550 / 9302 total (WC achieved)